Warrior Landing
by Noche00
Summary: Dulce is a part of the first physical partnership between the Shinigami and the Warriors. She thinks it'll be easy. "I don't want you. I don't need you." She was wrong. Now, she is stuck trying to gain the trust and respect of her partner,Ichigo Kurosaki.
1. Warrior Landing

**A/N**

**Well, this is my first Story here and I am very excited. i got this idea while i was on Quizilla. i asked for a oneshot that was similar to this. So, i decided to make it up into a story with some changes. I really hope i get a Beta reader for this. Really, i freakin' suck at grammer. If there are any mistakes please tell me and i will try to fix them. **

**Ok, and with that, let the story begin!**

**-Noche00**

* * *

This was going to be fine. Fine, fine, fine. Nothing will go wrong.

I mean, I was just going to another freakin' continent all alone. Nope, nothing at all to worry about.

Pssh. Yeah right! I loudly scoffed, making the old couple sitting closest to me shift uncomfortably.

I was currently sitting by myself in the LAX Airport waiting area. You know, where they have all these seats and little shops around. Yeah, that place.

My parents were squeezed in a little convenience shop buying us something warm to eat. It was 1:00 A.M and I was fuckin' freezing. I was shaking but it was mostly from my nervousness. My knees wouldn't stop shaking or my lips which caused my voice to shake somewhat.

I didn't want to go to Japan all by myself!

I sighed loudly in my frustration.

"Hey, _calmate mija_. It's all going to be fine. You're going to do great!" My mother said while settling herself down next to me. Somehow, she always managed to sound upbeat and positive. She put a warm arm around me and brought me close to her.

"_Puta Madre."_ my dad murmured as he walked towards us. In his hands were two Cup o' Noodles steaming up a bit. "These things are to hot." he handed one to me.

" Armando! Don't cuss this early in the morning!" My mother scolded. I checked and in her hands was also a Cup o' Noodles.

My dad ignored her. "I knew I should have just heated them up myself. Tch."

"You know you're not allowed to use your powers unless you have to, Dad. Honestly. I think a General should act more accordingly." I butted in.

"No one cares what you think, Dulce. So just shut up and eat your food."

My mom just shook her head, knowing that this was how we got along.

I blew on my ramen, the visible steam touching and heating up my face a bit. My dad handed me a plastic fork and I dug in.

The hot noodles and liquid made me feel a little bit better. My hands and knees shook less.

I finally trusted my voice not to shake.

"So," I started. "When do I leave?"

My dad took out the plane ticket from his wallet. His face looked amused. "Well, for the hundredth time this morning, you leave at 2:15 on flight 5407."

I sighed and continued to eat. My parents conversed amongst themselves while I stepped into my thoughts.

I was leaving good ol' Los Angeles to go live in Karakura Town, Japan.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering why the hell I am going so far.

Well, let me explain a few things before I go into that so the answer would make sense.

I am a _Guerrero. _A warrior.

We are humans born with the special ability to control one element, super speed and strength.

We use our powers to protect other humans and souls from Hollows.

A Hollow is an evil spirit that eats other souls and humans. Until quite recently, we warriors learned that we were not the only ones who fought against Hollows.

In this world, there are spiritual beings that are called Shinigami who also war with the Hollows.

We made contact with them a while back. They too, had no idea we existed.

So, for a couple of years now, the two of us have exchanged peace offerings and information about us to the other. We have formed a partnership to fight against Hollows.

This is where I, Dulce Luna, come in. I was ordered by the top General, General Black, to be in the first physical alliance with the shinigami.

Basically, up until now, the Warriors and the Shinigami have not physically worked together.

The reason is that they have been busy fighting a war with an ex Shinigami. They call it the Winter War.

But, now that is over and we can focus our energy on our partnership.

I was ordered to go to Karakura Town and stay their helping the Shinigami until I am ordered otherwise.

My partner Shinigami is a substitute soul reaper named Ichigo Kurosaki.

That is why I am going far away.

I'm not sure how I feel and it doesn't really matter how I feel about this.

I will do anything to help. Since my father is a general, he suggested that I should be the person to be a part of the first partnership,

This was when I was 14, I am 15 now. I took a whole year of extra training to keep up with the Shinigami.

I was knocked out of my thoughts when the voice of a woman ran throw the airport.

"Flight 5407 to Japan will be boarding in 25 minutes"

While the lady was talking I stared at my parents.

I was gonna miss them a lot. And my brother and sister.

I observed them since I wasn't going to see them for some time. I wanted their features to be embedded in my head so that every time I thought of them while I was on my trip, I had a crystal clear picture.

My mother was currently checking everything in my bags to see if I had everything. Her brown hair falling in front of her. Her dark brown eyes racking back and forth checking everything. My father was standing next to her, handling the bags once my mother was finished checking them.

His dark brown skin looked as smooth as butter. His black eyes were covered with bags.

I would always remember my dad's Danny from Grease hairstyle. I would remember the way my mothers' eyebrows would crinkle when she would concentrate.

I smiled sadly. I would really miss them.

"Ok, your all set, Dulce." my mother said while handing me my back pack and duffle bag I was going to take inside the plane. "I already turned off your phone; it's in the front pocket of your backpack. Your Ipod is also there. Now, I also put in your blanket in there, just in case."

I huffed. "Mom! That's so embarrassing!"

"I washed it with your favorite smelling cleaner."

"Oh, well, that's fine."

"Come on! We gotta go! I wanna get back to sleep!" My dad complained.

With a laugh, I started walking.

As we got closer and closer to our destination, my shivers came back.

My knees were shaking even more, my arms shook. My mouth kept twitching. My throat started to close up.

I was scared. When we got to the line to check our bags, my fingers stumbled a bit until they let go of my duffle bag.

We stopped on another smaller waiting area. This was where the family was able to see off the flyer.

My throat completely closed up. I couldn't talk. I felt like I was going to cry. Normally I wasn't like this, but, I was a family girl. My parents were my world. And now I had to leave them.

I felt worse when they hugged me. My mother began to cry and I was fighting back tears.

My dad also looked sad. He had a sad smile on his face as he messed up my hair and gave me my ticket. He told me to call everyday.

My mother gave me one last big hug and they let me go. I walked to the line of other flyers and when I gave them my ticket, I turned around and waved goodbye. They waved back and I began to walk to the pathway to the door of the plane. There was a stewardess there waiting for me with a kind smile.

Since I was under aged, I was under the care of her.

She put an arm on my shoulder and guided me to my seat. Surprisingly, I was in first class. Looked like the Order cashed out on me. Sweet.

I put my duffle bag on the bottom of my seat and sat down.

My fingers were twitching and my knees were still shaking. I gave a quivering sigh.

This was going to be an 11 and 40 minute hour plane ride to Tokyo, Japan. From there, my pen pal, ironically from Karakura Town, was going to meet up with me.

I should have told you that I wasn't really going to be alone. But it would sorta feel like that.

I began to talk to Hina Kurosaki when I was 13. My school and her school had a pen pal program. Each student got a pen pal from the other school and I got Hina.

We continued to exchange letters and became close friends even though we hadn't met each other. We had talked on the phone a couple of times; she even got to meet my best friends back home. Jason and Maria were actually excited that I got to go to Japan. They were also glad I had at least one friend there before I started school.

After I got my mission, I asked Hina if I could stay with her. I told her I was going to be an exchange student in her school. She was ecstatic. She immediately told me yes.

She didn't have to consult with her parents since they were both dead. They had died when she was 7 in a car accident.

Her last name wasn't originally Kurosaki but since her parent's death, her aunt, Masaki the sister of her father, took her in as her guardian. Masaki and her husband, Isshin Kurosaki treated her like their own child. She never ended up living with them; instead she continued living in her own house with a nanny.

But, a year later her aunt died suddenly. This was really hard on her. After this, she became really quiet in school until she went to middle school and met Tatsuki and Orihime. They brought the old Hina back

I was very touched that she told me this. It made me smile. And made me wish I could tell her all my secrets.

The arrangement with Hina was ever so perfect since she was cousins with the substitute Shingami.

Everything was settled. Except that I needed to learn the customs and the language of Japan. This was a little difficult but I got it down, I didn't even have an accent when talking Japanese.

I reached for my wallet inside my backpack. Inside I kept a picture of Hina that she sent me.

It was a full body picture of her and Tatsuki and Orihime.

Hina was in the middle, each arm wrapped around one girl.

She was the tallest one out of the three although that wasn't saying much. I shouldn't talk though, she was taller than me. I would say she was 5'5 or 5'6.

She was slender with cream colored skin and black hair that she got from her mom. Her hair was always kept in a pony tail. She had stud ear rings and dreamed of getting a tattoo one day.

Her hazel colored eyes were bright and big. She was very pretty.

Her other friends were pretty, too. One had short dark hair and the other had long orange hair. She was more mature than most girls.

Looking at them, I felt self conscience. They all had light colored skin and I was assuming that most people looked like that too.

I did not have light skin. I had honey colored skin. My eye color wasn't going to make a scene. They were just a honey color. My hair wasn't a big deal either. It was dark brown and in layers. My bangs were normal too.

But the thing that made me most self conscience was how my body looked. I was Latin, so I was fuller. I had curves. Although, from seeing Hina's friend Orihime, I knew I wasn't the one with the biggest upper curves. It looked like me and Orihime had the same body figure except for that.

Also, I was worried about my muscles. Being a Warrior, I was trained in everything. I had more muscles than some dudes out there. But, not enough to make people question my gender. But, looking at Tatsuki and Hina, I knew that wasn't going to be a scene either.

I heard the captain of the plane. "Passengers, we will now begin our flight to Tokyo, Japan. Please buckle your seat belts and prepare for liftoff."

I did as I was told and closed my eyes. The feeling of lift off always stayed with me for a few days.

I felt my heart and stomach plaster against the side of my body when we took off. After a while, I took out my Ipod and a book to read. It was going to be a long 11 hour flight.

**11 AND 30 MINUTES LATER**

I woke up with a jolt. The captains' voice echoed. "Passengers, we will soon be arriving to the Tokyo Airport so please buckle up and prepare for our descent."

I groggily looked around me. A blanket slid of me. This was one of the airplanes blankets.

It seemed like someone put it on me when I dozed off. How sweet. See, those stewardesses are nice!

I still had my earphones plugged in. my book was on my lap. I quickly put everything away and folded the blanket. I asked the stewardess what time it was. She said it was 2: 45 in the afternoon.

I buckled in with shaky hands. I brought up my duffle bag and hugged it. It smelled like home.

I shook my head. I was a Warrior damn it! I was stronger than this. I was acting as if I was never going to see them again. I should be happy!

I gave a determined grunt. I was going to be positive about this. I closed my eyes once I felt the plane descent. This was going to be the start of a new chapter of my life. With new experiences and new people to meet.

As the plane bobbled a bit when it hit the ground I broke into a grin.

"Warrior landing."

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**And there you have it! i really would like to thank whoever read this chapter all the way, even if you didnt i would like to thank you! **

**Review, please! It encourages me!**

**Ideas are accepted! Please, I would love to hear them, and i will thank you for them!**

**Thank you again!**


	2. New Home!

I hopped of the last steps of the stairs onto the ground. I made my way along with the rest of the passengers to the inside of the airport.

A smile was on my face as I stepped more determined.

I had my cell phone in my hand and turned it on. I was busy looking around to find Hina. She told me she would be holding a sign with my name on it while jumping up and down.

"DULCE!" I heard a female voice call out to me. I turned around and saw her.

She was their, wearing black capris and a white shirt. Her hair in its usual pony tail. Her eyes gleaming with tears.

"HINA!" I yelled as I ran towards her. We collided in a hug and she screamed. We were laughing and I instantly felt connected to her. I was so happy I could finally talk to her in person.

She let go of me put kept her hands on my shoulders.

"Let me have a look at you, Dulce-chan!" she said in English.

I chuckled. "I haven't changed that much since that last picture I sent you, Hina." I said in Japanese.

Her eyes widened. "YOUR ACCENT IS PERFECT!" she screamed at me in Japanese.

I could only grin.

"Arigato"

She grinned with pride. She jumped next to me and held my hand, tugging me to my left.

"Come on, Dulce. My uncle is waiting for us by the luggage pick up."

"Okay. Lead the way."

Even before we arrived at the luggage pick up, I could see her uncle.

He was taller than most people. He had a big smile on his face, waving eagerly at us.

"Ah, Hina-chan! You never told me your friend was so pretty!" he said.

Hina put her hands on her hips and glared at her uncle. "UNCLE! DON'T HIT ON MY FRIEND! THAT'S SO WEIRD!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Arigato, Kurosaki-san."

"Aw! And she's polite too." I smiled as I looked for my bags. I brought 6 bags with me. I looked for red roll on bags.

"Are those your bags, Dulce?" Hina asked me, pointing at my bags.

I gawked at her. "How the hell did you know!"

She half smirked. "I remembered your favorite color was red."

Hina's uncle got them all out of the rotating stage.

He got two of them and handed us the rest.

"We better get going, it'll be a long ride back home." he said as he began to lead us out.

Hina was jumping with happiness.

"Oh, Dulce, I can't wait till we get home. I'm going to show you all my things and then we get to stay up all night and talk and catch up. And the best part is you'll go to school with me!" she beamed.

"I can't wait. Although the school part is kinda scary."

We stopped next to a dark blue car. Isshin opened the trunk and put the bags in.

"Don't you worry about school, Dulce-chan! You'll have Hina and my son, Ichigo, there with you! Plus, all their cute little friends!"

I tried not to laugh since I thought it would look disrespectful but I couldn't help it. He was just so full of energy.

"Arigato, Kurosaki-san! I feel better now."

He just smiled.

I and Hina seated ourselves in the backseat.

"So, how did Jason and Maria feel about you coming here?" Hina asked me. Her hazel eyes intent on me.

"They were both really happy for the opportunity I got. They knew I shouldn't pass it."

She smiled. "They sound so nice! I really wish I could meet them!"

I laughed. "They feel the same way. Jason said he wishes he could meet you so he could flirt with you. You know he kept the picture you sent me from when you went to the park?"

"What? Why?"

"'Cause he said you looked "effin hot."

"He sounds so weird"

"He is, but he's mostly normal. Except when he meets a girl he likes."

This was how the rest of the ride went. We filled each other in on what had been going on with us.

We stopped for a bit to grab a bite to eat and then headed off again.

As we entered Karakura Town, Hina and Isshin pointed out all the popular places there was.

They pointed at the river that ran throw the town. They pointed at my new high school.

They pointed at other peoples' houses. It seems like I got things mixed up. Orihime and Tatsuki were all going to be a grade up from us since they were older by a year.

"Dulce, now that you're here, I don't have to be alone in all my classes!"

"Yeah. It's cool that we ended up having the same classes."

"I know, right! It's super weird, too. It's as if someone arranged it all so me and you could have the same classes."

I laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, weird."

Mr. Kurosaki brought us out of our conversation. "Oh, Hina and Dulce-chaaaaaaaan! We're at your home!"

I turned to look out the window and saw my new home.

It was nice and cozy looking. With crème colored walls and a red roof. It looked to have two stories. There was a small front yard and from the side there was a door and a fence, I'm guessing they led to the back yard.

Hina squealed next to my ear making me jump. She sure was energetic. "Do you like it, Dulce?"

I choked up a bit. I looked at Mr. Kurosaki and Hina. They were both beaming at me.

I couldn't help but beam back.

"Hell yeah!"

They both laughed as we all got out of the car.

"Girls," Mr. Kurosaki started as he lifted my bags off the trunk, "I hope you come to dinner tomorrow. It'll be a sort of welcome to Dulce, to make her feel more at home."

"Sure, Uncle! We'll be there! Thank you again for taking me to the airport to pick up Dulce."

"Yes, thank you Kurosaki-san."

We waved goodbye as Mr. Kurosaki drove away. Hina ushered me in the house. Inside was even better.

It was just my style, modern and cozy. There was a TV; there was a huge couch and a love seat in the medium sized living room. The kitchen was connected with the living room and it gave off a clean, metallic glow. I saw the stairs leading to the upstairs on my right.

Hina and I proceeded to take off our shoes and put slippers on.

She turned to me. Her hazel eyes connected with mine and she hugged me again. "Dulce, I am really glad you're here." She whispered at me.

I was taken back. She was so open. She let go right when I was about to squeeze back.

She grinned. "Okay! Let's get you settled! Come on, Help me carry your bags, they're heavy!" she said as she tried to move three bags at once.

"Uh, Hina, maybe we should take two at a time."

"Nonsense! I can carry these! I know I can!"

I sighed as I walked past her up the stairs. I looked both ways and to my right was Hina's room.

How did I know?

I saw it on Google.

No, just kidding. She wrote to me once that she painted her door room a light purple to match her room.

I went left and stopped at a dark brown door. I opened it slowly and was met with hospital white walls. The room was medium sized. There was a bed, a dresser with a mirror and a night stand next to my bed. The bed was bare with only a thin cover on top. It sat horizontally in the room

I could tell it hadn't been used in a while.

There was a window on the right side of my bed with light blue curtains. I was interrupted when Hina stumbled into the room. She somehow succeeded in carrying all three bags in. although, I think she may have done permanent damage to her back.

She wiped the invisible sweat from her forehead and beamed at me proudly.

"Told ya I could carry them."

I scoffed. "Yeah, but let's hope you lifted the bags with your knees or else your backs gonna be killing you later."

She just waved her hand. "Tch. Suuuure. Anyways, do you like your new room? I know it looks bare now but I'll take you shopping next week to buy things for it. It looks creepy all bare and shit."

I gave her a troubled look. "Listen, Hina. I would like to pay you rent for takin-"

She gave me a 'stop' sign.

"Dulce, I already told you, you don't have to pay me rent. It doesn't matter."

"At least let us split everything. That'll be fairer, right?"

She stuck her lower lip out in concentration. "Hmm, okay. But only on things we both need."

"Deal."

She stretched a bit then headed for the door. "I'll make us dinner while you put your things away. Go take a bath, relax for a while in here and I'll call you when the foods ready. I'll bring your other bag up in a sec."

I checked the time on my phone. It was almost 5:00. I debated over calling my parents now or after I take a bath.

On one hand, I'm feeling super effin' jetlagged and on the other they're probably worried about me.

I finally decided that 25 more minutes wondering wouldn't kill them so I rummaged throw my bags until I found my pjs. They were a pair of roomy grey sweats and an old white long sleeve.

I got my undergarments and socks and went to the bathroom. Hina had a bathtub and a shower.

After I undressed I stepped in the shower, preferring it over the bathtub and turned the water on.

As I was washing and rinsing myself, I thought of my day.

It seemed to be going okay. Me and Hina were getting along. I was becoming more comfortable and beginning to act more like myself.

Tomorrow I would meet my partner which surprisingly didn't worry me. I'm sure he was nice.

After my shower, I changed and headed downstairs. It smelled delicious.

Hina flashed me a smile when I walked in the kitchen.

"Nice pjs" she snickered at me.

"Don't hate." She just shook her head at me. "You and your L.A talk."

I grinned cheekily.

I took a seat at the table. "So, what'cha make?"

"Well, earlier today I went out and bought the ingredients to make your favorite dish: chicken alfredo!"

"What the hell? We're in Japan! How did you find the ingredients?"

She gave me a look. "We have markets with different ingredients too, you know."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks Hina, I mean it." "Of course you do."

As we ate, we conversed. Every five minutes I kept thanking her for all she has done for me. And she kept waving it off. When we finished eating she ordered me to go get some sleep. That tomorrow we would go out and buy me my school things since I didn't bring any. After we got my things we would head off to Kurosaki's house.

I called my parents once I was in my room. I told them I would report to the Order once every week and all that crap.

I kicked my bags to the side and settled in my bed.

Tomorrow was going to be a very important day. Tomorrow will be the first physical liaison between the Warriors and Shinigami. The meeting had to go perfect. We had to make it work.

At that moment, I promised myself that I would make it work. That I would do anything to get along with my partner even if he's the most horrible person I have ever met.

I will do my duty as a Warrior.

My eyes closed and I was swept away by dreams about what tomorrow would bring.


	3. First Impressions

**A/N**

**And here is chapter 3! The first meeting between Ichigo and Dulce. How did it go? Read and find out, please!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Tite Kube does.**

* * *

"_You can love me or hate me_

_I swear it won't make me or brake me"_

**Love me or hate me- Lil Wayne**

* * *

I hate him.

I hate him.

I hate him.

I hate that obnoxious, rude, orange headed jerk!

During my meeting with the Ichigo Kurosaki, my promise to get along with him flew out the fucking window and rolled itself all the way to effin' Antarctica.

I'm probably confusing you so let me begin my Sunday until my meeting with my partner.

I'll speed it up, I promise.

I was awoken by Hina wet-willy-ing me in both my ears.

She was smart enough to jump off my bed once I opened my eyes.

"Gross!" I yelled, cleaning my ears with my shirt. She smiled like a cat. Her hazel eyes sparkling evilly.

"I knew that would wake you up easily. Success!"

I glared at her. "You know, you coulda woken me up nicer." "Tch. From what you've told me, you're really hard to wake up. So, I thought that would be the fastest way. It was fun too!"

I shook my head at her. I noticed she was already dressed for us to go out. I checked the clock that was perched on my nightstand.

It was already 11:30

Holy crap.

Hina laughed at my surprised look. "I decided to let you sleep in, since I knew you were probably really tired. Listen, I'll fix your plate while you get ready. Also, get your check book, we're gonna go shopping for your school things and your room."

"Thanks, mom!" I yelled after her. I heard her crackle and smiled.

I kicked the bathroom door opened as I put my hair in a messy ponytail.

I washed my face, brushed my teeth and fixed my hair in a nicer ponytail.

Right now, I probably look like a fuckin' vampire minus the pale skin. Even though I slept for a long time, seems like my body is still tired.

I walked to my room and picked out my clothes. I finally decided on something comfortable but still presentable for my first encounter with Ichigo Kurosaki.

I put on my dark jean shorts and a white collared shirt with my black converse. It was summer here so what I was wearing was reasonable.

I put my phone and Chap Stick in one pocket and stuffed my checkbook in the other.

I was set.

Hina had made scrambled eggs and sausages.

"Hurry up and eat. After we buy your things we'll hurry back here and drop them off, then we'll go to my uncle's house."

I nodded my approval since my mouth was full.

This breakfast had put me in a good mood. I didn't even care that we would spend the rest 4 or five hours shopping and walking around.

You see? I was in a happy fuckin' mood until that jerk came and ruined my day. Sorry, I don't usually cuss but he just pisses me off

Ugh! Hate him.

Sorry, I'll get to that later.

I rinsed the plate as I heard a honk outside.

Hina practically bulldozed me out. "Come on! The taxi driver gets angry when he has to wait long."

Taxi driver?

Sure enough, there was a taxi car in front of the house.

I gave her a weirded out look.

"Really, Hina? A taxi cab?"

"To the town square, please." she directed the driver and then turned to me. "Yes, a taxi cab. We might end up carrying a lot of things so this was the smart thing to do. You should be thanking me."

"I guess your right. Thank you."

The ride was short. We stopped at the corner of a busy looking street. Shops were lined up on both sides.

Hina paid the taxi driver and told him that she would call him when we needed to be picked up.

As the driver sped off, I couldn't help but notice some of the stares I was getting.

I ducked my head to hide my blush. I didn't like people stares. Who the hell would?

Hina took my hand and we headed off. Hina did not seem to be phases by the stares and after a while neither did I.

We stopped at a Japanese version of Staples. I managed to buy a new shoulder school bag, notebooks, pencils, pens, and a folder until we were kicked out the store.

Why?

Because apparently while I was looking for my supplies, Hina was running around the store and pressing the 'need help' button in every aisle. Love her.

After that we stopped to eat a burger joint.

She ordered a double cheeseburger with fries and a coke. I ordered the same. After about an hour of staying at the burger joint, we stopped at a couple of stores.

I bought a teal colored covers for my bed. Some wall stickers. And 3of those board where you can make picture collages. I already new were I was gonna put them.

My room also had a closet with sliding double doors. That's were I was going to put them.

I bought some things to put on my dresser. A dark blue bean bag chair.

After we finished shopping Hina called the driver. We shot straight home and just dumped the bags on the couch.

"We'll fix them later." Hina said. "My uncle's house isn't far from here. I used to walk there by myself all the time."

"Don't you think we'll be going early?' I asked. It was just about to be 4:30.

"Nah, it'll be okay. So, how do you feel about meeting them?" she asked me as we walked.

"Kinda. But they all sound like nice people."

"They are. But I have to warn you, some of them can be violent towards each other"

I gave her a questioning look.

She smiled. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. That's just how they get along."

Each step brought me closer to the Shinigami. I could already feel his spiritual power. I also felt another shinigami.

It seems like the Soul Society sent an overseer over us.

We stopped at the Kurosaki household which doubled as a clinic.

Hina hopped next to the door and knocked. "Hey! Open up, it's me and Dulce!"

I shifted uncomfortably next to her.

The door flung open by an excited looking Isshin.

"Hina!" he yelled as he hugged her. He saw me and he did the same. "Dulce!"

I thought he was gonna choke us to death until someone inside the house pulled him away.

"Jeez, old man! Can't you act like a normal person and answer the door accordingly?" asked a young voice. I looked next to the sprawled Isshin and saw a short, black haired girl.

She met my Hina's gaze then mine. "So this is your friend from America, Hina."

Hina stepped in the house and sprawled herself on the couch.

I walked around the still fallen Isshin. "Are you okay, Kurosaki-san?"

He jumped abruptly up and gave me a thumbs up. "Of course I am!" I smiled and stepped further in.

I stood next to Hina's sitting form. The black haired girl held her hand out. "Karin Kurosaki. I'm Hina's cousin." she introduced.

I shook her hand. "Dulce Luna. I'm one of Hina's friends. Nice to meet you."

"You're the one who is living with Hina, huh?"

"Yeah. It was a very nice thing for her to do."

"Hey, Karin? Where's Yuzu?" Hina asked as she stood up. "Is she cookin?"

Karin nodded. "She's freaking out since she hasn't finished cooking yet."

"Yuzu?" I asked. The name sounded familiar. Karin looked at me. "She's my twin sister. She usually cooks and does the house stuff."

"Oh, right! I remember now! Hina wrote to me about you two. You guys are fraternal twins, right?"

"Yup."

I peeked into the kitchen and saw a young girl with light brown hair moving around the kitchen.

Poor thing looked ready to burst. I was about to go introduce myself when Isshin feel by my feet. He was bleeding from his nose and had a shoe mark on his face.

Hina smirked next to me. "Get ready for this." she whispered.

Karin just groaned and walked into the kitchen.

I heard loud thumping as two people walked down the stairs.

"Jeez, Old Man! Can't you stop buggin' me! I told you I'd come down in a minute!" a loud, annoyed, male voice yelled.

"Ichigo! There was no need for that!" I heard a strong yet soft voice say.

And with that my partner walked in.

He was tall and muscular with weird orange hair. He had a scowl placed on his face. Next to him was the mystery shinigami. She was very short with dark hair and purple/blue eyes.

Next to me Hina gasped. "Rukia! I didn't know you were back!"

Rukia smiled and curtsied which really weirded me out. "Hello Hina! It's nice to see you again. And hello to Hina's friend!" she curtsied my way too.

Hina put an arm around me. "Rukia, meet Dulce Luna, my new house mate!" Hina pushed me up front. Rukia grinned. "Nice to meet you."

It took me a sec to answer her. "N-nice to meet you too, Rukia."

Isshin sparked up from the floor suddenly. "AW! We're all friends. Now, Ichigo, go introduce yourself to Dulce-chan!"

Ichiigo looked my way and just said hello.

He didn't look like he knew who I was. He didn't show any emotion to having me here. I cocked my eyebrow. My mouth turned into a frown.

What the hell?

That was it? Did he even know I was coming? Or did he just not care?

He saw my frown and his scowl deepened. I could tell he was going to say something else but was cut off by Yuzu.

The poor girl looked distraught. "I'm really sorry I didn't come in earlier and introduce myself! I'm Yuzu." she said looking at me.

I inclined my head. "Hello."

Hina looked at Yuzu expectantly. "So, little cousin, what'cha make?"

Yuzu looked worried. From the corner of my eye I could see Rukia and Ichigo whispering at each other.

I heard something about not being rude.

"I was going to make a big dinner to welcome Dulce but I ran abit late and just started preparing the dinner when you two walked in. It will be a while until the food is ready. I'm really sorry"

Hina gave Yuzu a squeeze. "Don't worry I'll help you!" " "Really?"

"Hell yeah! Dulce could help too."

I was about to agree when Rukia butted in. "I got a better idea! Why don't Ichigo and I give Dulce a bit of a tour around the town while you two finish dinner?"

Hina beamed. "That's a great idea! How sweet of you two!"

Ichigo scoffed loudly. "I didn't agree to any-" he was cut off by Rukia stepping on his foot.

Rukia laughed awkwardly." It would be no problem at all. So, we'll just get going now. Bye!" Rukia finished while dragging Ichigo outside.

I bid adieu to everyone and walked out as well.

Rukia kept dragging Ichigo until we were away from the house. I followed behind them. Finally Ichigo was able to untangle himself and looked pissed.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT, RUKIA?"

Rukia gave an exasperated sigh as if this happened all the time. I honestly had no idea what to think.

Rukia turned to Ichigo. "I told you not to be rude! We have a very important guest with us!" she turned to me and held her hand out.

"Kuchiki Rukia. Shinigami of the 13th court. I will be your overseer."

I shook her hand. "Dulce Luna. Warrior and successor to the head of the Circle."

Ichigo gave a surprised noise. "Rukia! Why the hell did you tell her all that!"

"Because, Ichigo. From now on, she will be your partner."

There was a moment of silence. Ichigo looked like a fish. Mouth opening and closing.

My eyebrows knotted together. Rukia had a nervous expression.

I faced Ichigo who was still gaping. "You look surprised to hear this. Weren't you informed?"

Ichigo glared at me. "If I was informed, do you think I would be looking like a complete dumbass right now? OF COURSE I WASN'T INFORMED. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE RUKIA?"

Rukia glanced at him. "I'll explain everything once we get to Urahara's. We need to pick up some things from there." she focused her attention on me as if Ichigo had not just had a bitch fit. Seriously, who the hell could act all calm when some dude just screamed at the top of his lungs at you?

"Dulce, I got the order from Soul Society to pick up some things for you. They sent it to Kisuke Urahara. From there we'll discuss whatever needs discussing."

I nodded my head, trying to hide the fact that I was a little mad.

"Hey, Rukia! I asked you a question! Don't ignore me! HEY!" he would have ranted on longer if it wasn't for Rukia punching him in the nuts. I jumped a bit as he released a yowl. He doubled over and pressed his forehead against the granite. He kept whimpering.

I blinked. Rukia straightened her appearance and gestured me to follow her. I stepped over Ichigo. He looked like he wanted to stop us put he couldn't form words.

I skittered next to Rukia. "Are you sure we should leave him there. What if someone tries to steal his things?"

Rukia laughed. She had a nice laugh. "No one would ever think of stealing from Ichigo. He'll be fine."

We walked for a bit and conversed. I asked her why Ichigo had no idea who I was or what I was doing there. She said she was planning on telling him but never got the chance.

Ichigo was following us but at a distance. He was still hurting from the punch. And I did not feel bad about it.

We stopped at a small, lonely little shop. The doors were closed. Rukia banged on them." HEY! URAHARA. OPEN UP, IT'S ME, RUKIA."

I liked her more and more. She was like a shorter, louder version of Hina.

I smiled slightly. "You really know how to take charge, Rukia." She just chuckled.

The door slid open. "Come in, He'll see you in a second." a shy voice said. The voice came from a young girl with pigtails.

Rukia smiled." Thank you, Ururu." I smiled at the girl named Ururu.

As we stepped further inside the shop I heard Ichigo stumble inside and cuss. I smirked.

"Ah, Rukia-san, I see you brought our new ally with you." I heard a male voice say. I was met with Urahara Kisuke. He was a handsome man that looked like he just rolled out of bed. He had an easy smile.

Ichigo stumbled next to Rukia. "I hate you." he muttered at her.

She ignored him. "Urahara, we came for Dulce's orders."

Urahara nodded his head. "Well, why don't you all follow me to the sitting area while I look for them." he turned and with that, we all followed further in.

He told us all to take a seat and that he would be right back.

Ichigo took the longest to sit down; Rukia must have punched him hard.

"Alright," he huffed." We're here. Now explain Rukia."

"Well, you see. I _was_ going to inform you when I came. But, well, I didn't get a chance to. Dulce is a Warrior. She is a human with the powers to kill Hollows. The Warriors and Soul Society struck an alliance with each other a while back but until now, have not been able to physically work with each other. You and Dulce were chosen to be the first team to consist of a Warrior and Shinigami."

I stared at Ichigo, taking in his expression. It changed from concentration to disbelief to anger.

"A partner? With her? Who the hell said I wanted to be a part of this? No one asked for my approval!" he exclaimed.

Rukia and I were about to respond when Urahara walked in holding two boxes.

He sat himself down and looked at me. "Dulce-san, Soul Society sent me these packages specifically for you. They said you needed a weapon." he said as he opened the first box.

He handed me a normal katana with a black hilt. "This is an Asauchi. It is a nameless Zanpakuto. This will be your new weapon."

I felt the length of the sword. "Arigato, Urahara-san."

He tipped his hat and smiled. "My pleasure." next to me, Rukia had a questioning look.

"An Asauchi? Why give her that, Urahara?"

I finally spoke up. "I have the answer to that, Rukia. The way a Warrior battles Hollows is by manipulating their Spiritual Power onto their weapon. So basically whatever we use to battle, whether it's our fists or our legs or a sword or a knife, we cover it up with our Reiryoku, as you would call it, and use that to destroy the Hollow."

Rukia was wide eyed. "Almost like a Quincy." Urahara whistled lowly. Ichigo was the only one quiet. He gave me a hard stare.

Urahara began to open the second box. "And this will help you with your mission. This device will tell you when a Hollow is in the area." he said while handing me what looked like to be a cell phone. I took it. It wasn't that big, I could fit both my phones in a pocket.

I inserted both the sword and the phone into their boxed. Rukia stood up. "Urahara, since I will be staying here for a while, I will need some supplies."

Urahara perked up. "Certainly, Rukia-san! Follow me!"

He and Rukia left and I was left with Ichigo. Alone. Ah, fuck.

He was still staring at me. There were a few minutes of awkward silence.

I finally decided that I had had enough.

"Ichigo." I called out. The sound of my voice seemed to tick him off. His hands balled up, his eyebrows scrunched angrily.

"What?" he snapped back.

I took the same position as he. "Are you going to just stare at me?" I snapped right back.

He scoffed. "Enough with all of this. I heard why you're here for but I don't think you _should_ be here. I don't need you." he stressed the last sentence out. With each word he leaned more forward.

When he said this, something in me just snapped. I slammed my hands onto the table. "Do you think I _like _these arangements? Do you think I like being away from home? No, I don't. But that doesn't matter. I do my job and I do my duty. No questions asked. You should do the same." I said as I leaned in as well. He was _not _going to intimidate me. Hell no!

What I said threw him of the edge.

"SO NOW YOU'RE TELLING ME WHAT TO DO?" he screamed at me as he stood up, his amber eyes spewing with anger. "I DON'T NEED YOU! I DON'T NEED TO BE STUCK PROTECTING A FUCKIN' LITTLE GIRL ALL THE TIME! I HAVE REAL PEOPLE TO PROTECT! I DON'T WANT TO BE STUCK HAVING TO SAVE YOUR ASS!" he yelled at me.

At that point is exactly when my promise flew out the window. I hated him. How dare he insult me like that?

I jumped up as well. I didn't care if I was way shorter than him. I was his partner whether he liked it or not and he could not talk to me like that.

I began to yell at him, though not as loud as he had.

"_EXCUSE ME?_ Hell no! Where the hell do you get off thinking that you can talk to me like that! I won't need you protecting me! I am the strongest candidate for the head of the Circle! I _am_ strong! And I won't need your protection! Apparently, you're too much of a child to put you're feelings aside and just do your duty!" I finished. I was panting from all the yelling.

Rukia and Urahara had run inside when they first heard Ichigo scream.

But I didn't see them. All I saw was this orange-haired kid. All I detested was this orange-haired kid.

Ichigo looked like he was ready to kill someone. I didn't care. I was ready. The anger pumped through me. Never in my life have I felt this angry towards someone so fast.

"What's going on here, Ichigo?" asked Urahara. No one answered. Ichigo just kept glaring. The veins were prominent on him arms from being balled up.

"Ichigo! Answer!" Rukia screamed. She stepped forward and was about to put a hand on Ichigo when he jerked away.

We backed away to the door, his eyes never leaving mine.

As he opened the door he said one more thing before leaving.

"I don't need you. I don't want you."

And with that he left stomping like an elephant.

Rukia looked like she was ready to run after him but stopped. She turned toward me. Her eyes became sympathetic. "Dulce, what happened?"

I couldn't answer Rukia right away. I waited till the anger and hate left me. "Well, I don't think he likes me very much."

"How did all this happen? We were in the back and then suddenly we heard you two screaming at each other!"

Urahara put a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

I signed. "Yeah just a little shaken."

He nodded and let me go.

Rukia shook her head. "Well, I suppose our little visit is over. Thank you Urahara."

"Coming, Dulce?"

I stumbled a bit. "Yeah." I said as I got the boxes. Urahara walked us out.

"Arigato, Urahara-san."

He smiled and waved us off.

The walk back was quiet. Except that every 5 minutes Rukia would ask if I was alright.

I told her not to worry about it.

The sun had just begun to set. Light cascaded down fully through the streets.

I sank into what had just happened. Ichigo did not want me. Ichigo did not need me.

I growled silently. Thinking about it just brought back the anger full blast.

What angered me the most was not that he screamed at me. That he embarrassed me. What pissed me off the most was that he had looked down on me. He thought me weak.

That dick.

Well, let's just say that the dinner was a little bit awkward to say the least.

I was polite to everyone, I faked some few smiles. I conversed. All while Ichigo was sitting next to me. Fuming.

The tension between us did not go unnoticed.

I was more than glad when it was over. I did have an okay time. I learned more about the twins. How Yuzu enjoyed buying sweets and dressing this one bear. How Karin loved soccer. I found out Isshin had a wall sized picture of his wife and that he cried openly next to it.

Rukia walked me and Hina out.

"See you guys at school tomorrow! It was nice meeting you Dulce!"

We waved and walked to our home.

Hina asked me if I enjoyed myself.

"It was…an unexpected first impression" was my response.

She gave me a look but said nothing. I could tell she was going to ask me what had happened on my little 'tour'.

And she did.

We were in my room. She was helping me fix my room. She had some light blue paint leftover from her painting the bathroom and she gave it to me.

Together we ended up finishing painting the room and my closet. It wasn't hard since the room wasn't that big.

As she helped me pack my clothes she asked me.

"So, Dulce," she started." That walk you guys had, did anything happen?"

Her hazel eyes were tender and concerned.

I didn't stop from fixing my clothes. "Um, well, me and Ichigo had a tiny…discussion that didn't end well."

Her eyes turned serious. "Did he insult you or something? 'Cause if he did you gotta tell me. I'll kick his ass."

I forced a laugh. "No, no. It's okay. I'm sure after a while" the next part I tried hard not to make it look like I was lying through my teeth.

I started again. "I'm sure… me and Ichigo will get along once we get to know each other."

She still didn't look convinced but she dropped it.

After we finished I went to take a quick shower. Then I fixed my bag for tomorrow.

This part I struggled with.

Pulled the two boxes from under my bed. The phone would be easy to conceal. The sword, would not.

I tried to think of ways to conceal it since I was going to take it everywhere with me. I decided that I would squeeze it inside my bag. The bag was a normal school bag, but I found that I could stretch it out. So I settled the sword diagonally and fixed my notebook and folder around it.

The bag looked fine.

As I settled into my bEd after yelling 'Goodnight' at Hina and her yelling back, I thought of how I was going to complete this mission.

It was obvious he didn't like me. He thought of me as trash that was in the way. He thought I would be a nuisance.

There was _no way _that I could complete this mission.

Not only was this a mission, this was the prime example of how the Warriors and Shinigami would work together. If this didn't work, the alliance would most certainly be disposed of.

Years of hard work from both sides would be lost.

As a Warrior. I could not let that happen. I couldn't.

I came to the begrudging conclusion that I had to work things out with Kurosaki. I was not going to let this kid ruin my mission. I would not brake because my partner does not like me. I would finish my job without a problem. He and these emotions would not stop me. I would make this mission a success.

I would talk to him tomorrow if I get the chance and hope that everything will be straightened out.

Even as I said this, I couldn't help but think that it was not going to be that easy. He was stubborn. I could tell.

I would _try_ to be polite to him. _Try. _I am not guaranteeing anything. I would _try_ to act civil and just end the whole thing.I would be the bigger person and try to talk things out. We _would_ work things out. We were ordered to.

But, that said, my impression of him still remained.

I still hated him.

* * *

**THANK YOU FOR READING CHAPTER 3!**

**REVIEW, PLEASE!**


	4. First Day

**A/N**

**And here is chapter 4! Did Dulce's plans to talk to Ichigo work? Read and find out!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH**

_"And now it's I'm yellin over her,_

_And she yellin' over me._

_All that means _

_is neither of us is lstenin'"_

**Mad- Ne-yo**

I was awoken from my dreams of crushing strawberries with hammers by Hina.

"Psst, Dulce. Wake up. Sweetie, wake up. I TOLD YA TO WAKE THE F UP!"

I woke up all right. I woke up to the floor.

Seems like I rolled myself off my bed when waking up.

I rubbed my head as I looked up into my bed.

Hina was perched Indian-style on it. She was still in her jammies.

I now remembered that today was Monday. School.

I groaned.

Hina chuckled. "Come on, dude. Wake up. It's 7:00 already. I wanna get to school early so I could introduce you to Tatsuki and Orihime! Hurry, Snorlax!" she said as she got up and walked to her room.

"I am not fat!" I yelled after her, still on the floor.

Finally, I stood up and stretched. I didn't feel as mad when I thought of yesterday. I would fix it.

I walked to the bathroom and did my morning routine. My hair was still wet and a little harder to untangle but I got it.

I combed my bangs to the front and swept them to the side. I but a blue hair band and my hair was done.

I walked back in my room. Hina walked past me while eating a bowl of cereal. "Hurry up!" she mumbled.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. I got my school uniform out of my closet with my school shoes.

The uniform was cute. It consisted of a grey pleated skirt, a white buttoned up shirt, the choice between a pale yellow knit sweater or a pale yellow knit vest, and a cute red ribbon.

I choose the vest since it was hot. Summer, you know?

I changed from my sweats into my uniform. The skirt was a little too small for my taste but it looked nice.

If Jason saw the uniform all the girls had to wear, he would have popped a boner.

I nodded at my appearance and grabbed my school bag.

As I walked downstairs I put both my cell phone in my pack and my Hollow tracker phone in my pocket.

"Finally!" Hina exclaimed. "It's 7:40. School starts at 8:30! And you still have to have breakfast! Jeez, women, what am I gonna do with you!"

I laughed. "Chill, dude. I'll eat my breakfast while we walk" I said as I grabbed an apple.

"Okay. Here is your lunch. It's a peanut butter sandwich with chocolate milk and an orange. Healthy!"

I took it." What are you having?" I asked her as I put my lunch into my backpack.

"The same." she answered as she walked to the door. I followed her.

She got two sets of keys of the key rack.

"Here is your copy of the house door, Dulce. Don't lose 'em."

"Sure, Yeah." and with that we walked out.

The air was already hot and heavy this early. Damn summer.

I heard a loud smack. Hina stopped suddenly. "AW, CRAP! I forgot to tell you!" she said, her hand pressed against her forehead.

I looked at her. "What are you talkin' about?"

She dropped her hand; there was a red mark on her forehead. She hit herself hard.

"I have photography club after school! I can't walk home with you!"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Photography club? Since when have you liked photography!"

She rubbed her neck. "Well, I've only recently gotten into it. But, I love it! So, I decided to make a club at school. Today is our first meeting."

"What the hell, you never told me this!"

"Didn't I say I forgot?"

I huffed. "Okay, okay. Well, I guess I'll just walk home today alone."

She looked troubled. "What if you get lost?"

"You honestly think I'd get lost?"

She just gave me a stare. There was a moment of silence.

I pouted. "Thanks a lot." I replied sarcastically.

She beamed at me. "Don't get mad, Dulce! I'm sure you can find your way back home. But just in case I'll ask Ichi-" she stopped when I glared at her. "I mean," she started again. "I'll ask Rukia to walk you home."

I nodded my head. We didn't talk for a bit. I was lost in my thoughts.

Ichigo.

Just thinking his name made my face harden. I recalled what he told me the night before.

"_I don't need you. I don't want you."_

The words stung angrily inside of me. I _would_ make him see my side. We are a team.

We are equal.

I was knocked out of my thoughts by Hina. She was screaming at a person slightly in front of us.

I looked to the direction that Hina was pointing at. She was pointing at a girl in the same school uniform as us. She had pretty nice orange hair that was kept in place by two tiny blue hair pieces on each side.

The girl turned around. It was Orihime.

Hina clamped on my hand and dragged me toward her.

Orihime was waving back at us smiling.

"Dulce, I want you to me one of my friends!"

We stopped in front of Orihime. She had a nice smile, her grey eyes sparkled.

"Hello, Hina!" she turned her eyes towards me and the kindness remained.

"HIYA, ORIHIME! Meet my new roomie!" and with that she pushed me forward once against.

Orihime beamed at me and squealed. She gave me a big bear hug which surprised me.

"So this is Dulce-san! I've heard so much about you! It's nice to finally meet you, Dulce-san!"

I laughed as I was let go. She was very…upbeat.

"Hello, Orihime. I've heard a lot about you too. And please, call me Dulce."

Hina cooed loudly. "AW! Can you believe this! Now, we can all be best friends! The four of us!"

Orihime clapped her hands. Her eyes were huge. "Yeah! We must get Tatsuki in this too! It'll be so cool!"

Were they always like this? I let this go on for about two minutes before I reminded them we had school.

We began to walk again. We made it to school at 8:00.

Orihime waved goodbye to us. "I have to go or I'll be late. It was nice meeting you, Dulce. I hope you have lunch with us." and with that she ran off.

Hina turned toward me. "She liked you! Now, I have to show you Tatsuki. I'll take you to meet her in a bit. First, I have to take you to the main office for your schedule." she said as she led me inside the school.

It reminded me of my old school. White walls. Lockers eating up the sides. Kids hanging around everywhere.

The main office was a big room with a green door. The room was cut in half by a wooden counter with two ladies posted on separate sides.

We went to the lady that wasn't busy.

"Excuse me; my friend here is a new student. She needs her schedule."

The lady didn't look up from the report she was reading. "Name?"

"Dulce Luna." the lady typed it into the computer, her eyes never leaving the report.

She gave me a freshly printed paper. Her eyes actually left the report and she looked at me.

"It seems like you took biology already in your last school so this year you will be taking Physiology with the second years. Now, you must have all your teachers sign this paper and bring it back to me right after school."

We skittered out of the room.

This was my schedule

1st. Japanese with Sensei Sato.

2nd. Math (yuck) with Sensei Hayashi.

3rd. English with Sensei Arai.

4th. Art with Sensei Kudo.

Lunch.

5th. Phisiology with Sensei Ito.

6th. Class meeting with Sensei Saito. Class meeting was like homeroom.

It turned out that I would only have to remember two room numbers. In Japan, all the classes were held in the same room, the only thing that changed was the teacher.

I got the chance to meet Tatsuki. She was nice, friendly and it seemed like me and her had a love for basketball.

We made it to our classroom with some minutes to spare. Hina said that there was an empty chair in front of her seat so I laid my things there. Hina saw me fidgeting with my schedule. "Ya know, you're gonna have Physiology with my cousin and everyone else."

I felt my eye twitch. I grunted. She chuckled.

All the students began to sit in their seats. I looked at the clock, it was 8:30.

The door opened and in came my teacher. He was old with wrinkles aligning his face. His hair was grey and combed back. He carried a suitcase. He had a navy blue suit on. He looked sharp and ready. I handed him my schedule. He looked at it, signed it, introduced himself and had me take a seat.

This class was the types of class were you never had a moment to talk. The only time you could talk was when it was class related.

Since I took that year to learn Japanese, I could keep up with the class.

After 1st ended we had 6 minutes for our next class; math. Yuck. I sucked in math.

All Hina did was smile smugly at me. I gave her a questioning look.

"I remember you told me you hated math. But, in about a minute you'll see something that'll make you want to come to this class everyday."

"Huh?"

"We have a tutor for this class,he's a second year. His name is Izo Usagi and let's say the name says it all. He is an ice cold moon who will never be touched, Izo is the school player. He has never had a relationship for more than 2 weeks. Girls always think they can change him. But let me tell you this; don't fall for none of it. He doesn't care. He may act nice and polite but in the end, all that'll happen is you'll get hurt. So, just enjoy his sexiness from afar. That's what I do!"

The door suddenly opened. I swear to God some of the girls moaned silently.

Hina turned towards the door. "Check him out." she whispered to me.

Standing in front of the door was Izo Usagi. I felt my mouth drop.

Holy crap.

Izo Usagi was about 5'10. He was lean; you could see his arm muscles straining the sleeves of his shirt. He had black hair that was spiked. Kinda like Ichigo's except Ichigo's were natural while Izo's were created with gel. I think the best feature of Izo were his eyes. They were an emerald green.

He was nice to look at. But, there was something that I didn't like. He had a cocky expression sitting on his face. He walked inside like he owned the place. But, I wasn't going to judge him until I met him. He sat himself on a desk in the far right side of the room, separated from the other students.

Hina smirked at me. "Told ya." I was about to respond when the teacher walked in. Sensei Hayashi was a petite brown haired lady with blue eyes. She did the same thing as Sensei Sato except she didn't introduce me.

As I walked back to my seat I couldn't help but flicker my eyes at Izo. He was leaning forward on his desk, one hand supporting his face. Our eyes connected and he smiled. I felt my cheeks blush as I quickly sat down.

Sensei Hayashi teached the way I liked it. She gave us the lesson then she handed us our homework. Each day she would give us two pages of homework from the textbook. She let us start our homework in class. She then sat herself in her desk and used her laptop. For what I do not know.

I really paid attention to the lesson but I was still having problems with it. We had problems with fractions. I hate fractions.

I had asked Hina for help and she said she would help me once she finished. Unlike me, Hina was awesome in math.

So, I was stuck trying to figure out my homework alone.

I debated over asking the tutor for help but say he was helping other people. Mostly girls.

I kept trying for a couple of minutes until someone to my left tapped my shoulder. I sat at the very last row to the left so I sorta freaked out.

I turned my head and was met with the towering figure of Izo Usagi. He smiled down at me.

"You look like you can use some help." he said in a strong, deep voice. I screamed inside my head.

He just had to have a deep voice, huh?

"How did you know I needed help?" I asked timidly. I never really got a chance to talk to boys besides Jason so I was a little intimidated.

"You've had that same pained expression since you began your homework."

I cocked my eyebrow. "You've been staring at me?"

He rolled his eyes and grabbed a chair. "Just lemme help you."

Izo was a very good tutor. He was patient and surprisingly good in math. I did not expect that.

He asked me what my schedule was. I told him. His easy smile turned into a grin when he heard I had Chemistry.

We finished introducing ourselves when the period ended.

He and I got up from our seats.

"Thank you for all your help, Izo." I said honestly.

He chuckled. "No worries, just remember, Imma check up on you everyday and see how you're doing so don't hide the fact that you need help." he said as he started to walk away. "Oh, and I'll see you in Physiology later on." and with that he left.

Hina in front of me burst out in giggles. I scoffed.

The next to classes were okay. English was easy. Art was fun.

When lunch came Hina took me to the grounds of the school.

We settled by a tree. She told me the rest of the girls would be coming soon.

And right there I saw a group of 7 girls stopped by us.

I noticed Rukia and Orihime and Tatsuki but not the others.

Hina once again shoved me in front of her and introduced me.

The girls I didn't know were Mahana Natsui, a curly, brown haired girl. Ryo Kunieda, a tall, skinny girl. Michiru Ogawa, a small brown haired girl. And Chizuru Honsho, a brown, bespecled girl who has trouble keeping her hands to herself.

Lunch was interesting. The girls were nice and accepted me in. We laughed and we joked.

And then Hina told everyone about the incident between me and Izo. I died. I kept on being teased until I was saved by Rukia.

"Dulce, Hina asked me during a break to walk you to your next class. Would it be okay if I took you a bit early, I need to finish some homework."

I instantly agreed. As Rukia and I began to walk away Orihime ran after us.

"I told them I need to finish some homework too."

"Very well. Now Dulce, you need to talk to Ichigo. He said that today he was going to be in the Science room with Ishida and Sado. That'll be your chance."

Orihime looked confused. "Why do you need to talk to him, Dulce?"

Rukia answered for me. "Dulce is a Warrior, Orihime. A human who fights Hollows. She and Ichigo our in the first team of its kind and yesterday things didn't go as planned. I'll tell you more when we get there."

We stopped in front of the Science lab.

"Wait here, Dulce. I'll bring Ichigo out."

I was left alone outside. My heart was pounding. My hands involuntarily turned into fists.

I heard a bit of a tussle inside and out came Ichigo. I took a step back.

When he noticed me his eyes hardened. "Aw, man! Not you again! Didn't I make it clear that I didn't want to see you?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I go to this school too, Dumbass!"

He ignored me. "I swear you're like a fuckin' annoying fly or something."

I grinded my teeth. Control, Dulce, control.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. When I opened them I gave Ichigo a serious look.

Right now he was standing straight. His hands balled. His mouth twitching a bit. I could tell he was trying hard not to start screaming.

"Ichigo, I just want you to hear me out, okay?"

He scoffed loudly. "And why the hell should I listen to you. Maybe when you grow a little bit taller I will."

"5'2 and a half is a perfectly good height! But, that isn't the point. LOOK! Just listen and shut up. I've been thinking a lot about what happened yesterday. I don't know why you reacted the way you did. But I do know that we were both given a mission. And the only way to follow and complete the mission is if we work together. It could benefit so many people. We might even become friends-"

"FRIENDS? You think we could be friends? After what you told me last night? I don't think so!"

"What about what you told me? You humiliated me!"

He gave a shaky breathe. His eyes had become beady. His veins were prominent. His chest fell and rose heavily. It seemed like something about me just pissed the hell out of him.

"Listen to me carefully. I said it once and I'll say it again. I. Don't. Need. You." He said in a strained voice gripped with anger. He walked briskly inside the classroom after that.

That did not go well.

I was frozen with anger and disappointment. It didn't work. The bell suddenly rand signifying that lunch was over.

I walked inside the room. I was met with 4 pairs of eyes.

I tried to smile but failed. I took a seat next to Orihime. Rukia introduced me to Sado and Ishida. No one said anything as to why Ichigo was seating in his seat facing the window.

It seemed that while Ichigo and I were having our discussion, Rukia explained what I was and what I was doing here.

Kids began to pile inside. I saw Izo walk in. he saw me and waved. I waved back halfheartedly.

He noticed and took a seat next to me.

He asked me what was wrong. I said nothing and he dropped it. When the teacher walked in I handed him my schedule and took a seat.

The teacher had us working all period which was good for me. I didn't really feel like talking.

When it ended I got up and headed out. The feeling of disappointment never left me.

Class meeting was fast. After it ended me and Hina walked out. She noticed right away I was feeling down.

"Why are you sad?"

"I'm not sad, just disappointed."

She quirked and eyebrow. "Why are you disappointed?"

"Well, I tried to talk things out with Ichigo and it didn't really end well."

"Again?"

"Yup."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Nah, it's okay. I'll fix it."

I swear I will. She nodded her head. 'Fine. Listen, I have to go meet the club. I'll be home in about 2 hours. Don't get lost!"

"I won't get lost! Have a little faith, please!"

She laughed and walked away.

I smiled slightly. I felt better. I _would_ fix this problem.

I walked to the main office. I handed my schedule to the same lady and she nodded her head and waved me out.

As I walked out I heard my Hollow tracker begin to beep. I quickly got it out of my pocket and opened the phone. Once I opened it the beeping stopped.

I was bout to read the screen when I saw Rukia running this way. She stopped in front of me.

"Dulce, what the hell are you doing here. Didn't Ichigo come and get you?"

"I haven't seen Ichigo since 5th."

She stomped her leg angrily. "Damn it! I told him to come get you! Gah, why doesn't he ever listen?"

"Wait, what?"

"He was supposed to come get you so you two can fight the Hollow."

I felt my eye twitch. I tried to stay calm but couldn't.

"Are you telling me that Ichigo went to fight that Hollow without me?"


	5. Middle Ground

**A/N **

**AND HERE IS CHAPTER 5! YAY! **

**I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MY FIRST 2 REVIEWERS.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH.**

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_"Can you meet me halfway, right at the borderline?_

_That's where I'm gonna wait for you"_

Meet me halfway- Black Eyed Peas

* * *

Please let something fall on top of him, God.

Please. Let there be some justice in my horrid life. Please let him have a sudden heart attack and fall down twitching before he reached the Hollow. SOMETHING, GOD, SOMETHING.

LET A LITTLE SQUIRREL RUN BY HIS FEET AND TRIP HIM.

That way, I'll reach him and murder him. I'll go ghetto on his ass. I'll get my gansta accent and just rip him apart.

I turned toward the door and ran out. I could scout him out. I would get to him.

"Dulce!" I heard Rukia shout behind me. She was running after me. Or him.

She caught up to me. She had a sympathetic look on her face.

"Look," she started. Her voice vibrated a bit from the running. "I'm sorry he didn't tell you. It was wrong, I know it. But don't do anything stupid."

I snarled. "I won't do anything stupid. I'm not Ichigo."

She snickered. "True."

We kept running. I felt Ichigo's spiritual power a few yards away to my left.

I wasn't sure if he had reached the Hollow or not.

"It's time to change, Dulce." said Rukia, her hand reaching for her Soul Candy. She popped one and she separated herself from her body. She waited for me.

I also transformed. My uniform dissolved and was overtaken by my Warrior suit. My Warrior suit was designed for maximum movement and cover. I had thin armor pants, leather boots, and a leather and steel sleeveless shirt. All my attire was dark grey.

I reached for my sword and released it from it's sheath.

I willed my Reiryoku to cloak my sword. I was so pissed that I released my element; fire. I also had it cloak my sword.

I would show him I wasn't weak.

Rukia look wide eyed at me. Then she smiled. "Let's go."

We took of to the left. Ichigo had stopped. He had the Hollow.

I would up show him. I would be the one to defeat the Hollow. I took off running in full speed. I felt my lips pull over my teeth in a snarl. The Hollow was located just ahead of me next to a run down building. I heard its scream.

I saw it. Its mask was shaped like a snake. It looked more like a lizard, though. It strapped itself against the side of the building. Its clawed feet and hands leaving indentions on the building. I saw it hiss at Ichigo.

Seeing Ichigo just made me see red. I ran passed him, making sure I bumped into him.

He staggered a bit. I jumped at the Hollow. I swung my sword and watched it cascade down the Hollow. This caused him to fall of the building. I pushed myself from the building with my legs and raised my sword again. I brandished my sword down the neck of the Hollow and decapitated it.

I stood there panting. But not from what I just did. From the anger I felt. I was still seeing red. As the Hollow disappeared I heard Ichigo yell in frustration.

"DAMN IT! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?" He was about to yell at me again when I turned around and punched him. He dropped.

By that time Rukia had already arrived.

She was about to intervene when I raised my hand to signal her to stop.

Ichigo got off the floor quickly. His cheek was red. He had a look on his face. As if he couldn't believe I just did that. He was stunned.

I took this opportunity.

My mouth was taut. I hoped my eyes showed the anger I felt for this guy. I hoped it stayed with him.

I was breathing deeply now. "I can not believe you did that. How dare you leave without me. I hoped that you would have at least worked with me. I hoped that you would have at least waited for me so we could dot this together. I had hoped that even though you still hated me, that you would put our mission before that. But you didn't."

Ichigo's face turned dark. "Well you thought wrong."

I snapped. "Dude, are you fuckin' serious? Do you hate me so much that you don't care what happens? That you don't care that if this doesn't work out everything will be lost."

He looked like he wanted to smack me. "Don't act like you know me. Don't assume things. I knew you would be alerted that there was a Hollow. You reached here in time. And technically, we were both here to kill the Hollow. I think I followed orders."

I gave a humorless laugh. "Oh, yeah! You followed orders alright. Not!" I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I felt hopeless.

My voice quivered. I closed my eyes. "Ichigo, I am willing to just put this all behind me. I want this to work out. We _need_ to make this work out. For both of us."

He snorted. "That was stupid. I don't need a partner for fighting puny Hollows. This is an insult to myself-" I cut him off."

"An insult to _you?_ This is also an insult to me, too! Okay, I'm not asking for a lot. Just to meet me halfway on this. You don't have to like me. We don't have to be friends. But, just," I struggled to find the right words.

"Just, treat me fairly. Treat me as a partner."

He looked troubled. I got a spark of hope. His eyes became slightly softer.

That didn't last long. He shook his hands and just walked past me. "Just forget it."

And for the second time today he walked away from me.

I switched back to my uniform. Rukia walked next to me. She brought a hand on my shoulder.

"Dulce that was a good try. I think you actually got to him."

I scoffed. "Right, I think I did touch his heart."

Rukia gave me a serious look. "It's true, didn't you see him stumble a bit. You just gotta go at it a bit more and-"

"Rukia, I'm not chasing after him anymore. I told him where I stood. It's up to him now to decide if he'll put his pride aside and work with me."

She sighed "Your right. It's just frustrating. He wasn't always like this." she said as she walked to her gigai. She formed with it again and motioned me to go back.

"Dulce, today in the morning Yuzu and Karin asked me to ask you if you could come over tomorrow after school."

I blinked. "Sure, okay. I gotta tell Hina though."

"I'm sure she won't mind, she has her club meeting tomorrow, too."

"And how the hell do you know?"

"Her club meets everyday. They go around town and take photos."

"You seem to know a lot about the Photography club."

She giggled. "Yup. I asked them if they could take pictures of rabbits for me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Rabbits?"

"Yes, rabbits." "Ah."

"So, why do they want me to go?"

We were already at my house. The sun was just beginning to set. Hina would be home soon.

All I wanted to do was take a bath, finish my homework and go to sleep.

"Yuzu wants you to teach her to make that thing that you were talking about during dinner yesterday."

A confused look crossed my face. "Yuzu wants to learn how to make sugar cookies?"

"You sound surprised."

"The girl is a cooking genius. I just expected her to know how to make 'em."

"Well, she wants you to visit. Plus, I need to talk to you about something. Tomorrow, though."

I nodded. I was pretty sure I knew what she wanted to talk about.

She dropped me off and told me to wait for her in front of the school tomorrow.

I walked into the house and went straight to my room and called Maria.

4 rings and she answered.

"Hello?" "Maria, it's me."

I heard her scream." DUUUUUUDE! How are you? I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUUUUUUUUCH."

I laughed. I didn't feel lonely anymore. "I've been good. What about you guys?"

"Hold up, lemme 3-way with Jason."

I waited and then heard Jason's raspy voice. "Hello." "JASON-BOY, DULCE IS ON THE OTHER LINE!"

"NO FUCKIN' WAY. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN, CHICKEN NUGGET?"

"I've been good I guess."

"What do you mean you guess?"

I could imagine them perfectly in my head. Jason would be sprawled against his bed. Still tired from soccer practice. His brown hair would be wet from a just taken shower. Maria would be either in the living room watching some reality T.V show or in the kitchen her green eyes raking over the shelves trying to find some junk food.

"Well, let's just say things are going a little bad."

"Bad how?" asked Maria.

"The guy hates me."

"What did you do to him? Slap his ass when you met him?"

"Jason, really?" "Didn't I tell you that I'm the only person you can do that to?"

"Jason, shut up. This is serious." said Maria.

"I don't know _why_ he hates me. But hopefully things get better."

Talking to them really made me feel better. After I finished talking with them I called my parents.

I lied to them and told him things were going great.

I clicked on them when I heard Hina come in.

She had brought pizza for dinner.

She showed me the photos she took.

She really did have a knack for taking nice photos.

I told her about me going after school tomorrow with Rukia. She choked on her slice of pizza.

"I'm so glad you're making friends with her, Dulce!"

I finished my homework using Hina's text books. I was going to have to go in the morning to the book room to collect mine.

I took that long awaited shower and felt at ease somewhat.

I didn't know why Ichigo hated me. Really, I didn't.

I know it wasn't just about me being here 'insulted' him. It had to be something more.

I decided then that tomorrow would be the day I would learn everything I could about Ichigo Kurosaki.


	6. Understanding

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**A/N **

**And here is chapter 6! **

* * *

_"I got this ice box where my heart used to be_

_This ice box where my heart used to be_

_No, I'm so cold, I'm so cold, I'm so cold_

_No, I'm so cold, I'm so cold, I'm so cold."_

_Ice Box-Omarion_

****

* * *

Tuesday was a surprisingly breezy day. The wind felt nice from these past days of pure heat.

Hina took her camera to school today. She said she was really excited about the club. While we were walking to school she kept taking pictures of stupid things every minute.

I merely nodded my head every time she said, "OOOOH, look at that!" _Click._

She just took a photo of an unsuspecting me.

I was seeing all white. She took it a little too close, I had to stop to rub my eyes. Hina kept on walking as if nothing happened.

We were just by the river that cut through the town.

"O, look at that, Dulce! The river would be a good thing to photograph, don't'cha think?" she waited for my response. "Dulce? DULCE? WHAT THE FUCK?" she turned around angrily at me.

"Dude, why the fuck are ya all the way over there?"

I felt my temple throb. "_Dude," _I mimicked her. "You just took a picture of me real close! I was momentarily blinded!"

She waved the subject off. "Pssh, whatever, ya big weenie. Now, come on L.A, hurry your ass _up_!"

I pouted and did as I was told. Begrudgingly, of course.

This was how the rest of the walk went. Hina took pictures and I walked at a certain distance from her. I don't wanna be blinded again. She went with me to pick up my books. Thankfully, none of them were that big.

When we made it to our classroom, I was still ticked. I liked knowing when I was going to be taken a picture of. I wanna look good. It's not a crime!

Hina laughed as she sat on top of my desk. I rested my head on my arms, looking out the window.

"Aw, come on, Dulce! The picture came out good!"

"What if it came out lookin' like I was high or something?"

She was about to say something when my comment stopped her. Her eyes widened and she stared down awkwardly at her camera. "Actually, I think you _did_ come out lookin' high on the picture!"

"Awesome." I replied sarcastically. She messed up my hair. "Don't you worry your pretty little head off, I'll delete it. I promise."

"Thank you."

With a leap, she hoped off my desk and sat down on hers. "Listen Dulce," her face was surprisingly serious. "I've been thinking about your visit today after school aaaaaaaaaand, well, I don't want you going there when Ichigo is still mad at you."

"How did you know he's still mad?"

"I saw him yesterday during our club meeting brake. He came back to get his school bag. I waved and he waved back without turning around to face me. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was mad. His back was frigid. His shoulders were tight. I could already see the way his face looked like. "She mimicked the expression on his face to perfection.

I waited to see were she was going with this. "Okay, I know you were going to show Yuzu how to bake those cookies but what if she comes over to our house instead?"

I wrinkled my eyebrows. Did she think me and Ichigo were going to get in a fight right in front of his family?

"Hina, I'm pretty sure when Ichigo hears that I'm coming over that he'll stomp his way into room until I leave."

"He would do that but it would just make me feel better of you guys could do that over in our house. Rukia can come over, too."

I debated over this. I seriously had no problem going over to Ichigo's house. I didn't feel anything at this point over our little situation. It was all up to him now.

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me, but sure. When Rukia picks me up I'll tell her."

Hina grinned triumphantly. "YAY! Thank you, Dulce! I can relax now."

I scrunched my face in confusion. Relax?

"Was this whole thing between Ichigo and me really freakin' you out so much?"

"I just don't want one of you getting hurt." "Ah, well, I don't think much will be happening between us."

That was when the teacher came in. Sensei Sato looked very business-like, today, he had on a tweed suit. He was the type of man that looked like he was very handsome when he was younger.

Class started with a quiz. It was short and we got to correct it, too. I ended up getting a good score. Not 100% but still.

The rest of the class was spent in taking notes.

When second period came my heart started to thump. I thought it was pretty stupid of me to do that. He was just tutoring me. No big deal, I shouldn't think too much of it.

Hina just rolled her eyes when she saw me fidgeting with my pencil. I blushed when she looked at me.

I squared my jaw and glared at her. "I don't like him, Hina."

She chuckled and squeezed my cheek. "Sure you don't. Just remember what I told you. He's a heartbreaker."

I felt uncomfortable when she said this. Izo didn't seem like that type of guy but then again she said he acted like that at first.

"Are you sure about that, Hina? He didn't seem like that type of guy."

"Dulce, in this school you hear _things_. I'm positive he is."

"You shouldn't listen to rumors. Their not always true."

She sighed. "You may be right but I guess it doesn't matter. You're gonna do what you want to do at the end of the day."

Izo walked into the classroom like yesterday. Somehow oblivious to the giggles from the girls and the jealous looks from the guys.

He waved when he saw me and walked on over. "Hey Dulce." he greeted.

"Hi Izo. Oh, let me introduce you to my friend, Hina."

He snapped his fingers in remembrance. "Oh, yeah! You're cousin is in all my classes. Nice to meet you."

Hina smiled and nodded. The door opened again and in walked in Sensei Hayashi. Izo walked to his normal seat in a hurry. We turned in our homework and got on with the lesson.

This class was just like it had been yesterday. Nothing special.

English was my favorite class since it was the easiest for me. Sensei Arai, a tall and skinny middle aged man, handed to the class the novel we were going to be reading. It was Lord of the Flies. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not.

Art class was probably my funniest class. The only suckish thing about it was that everyone else drew better than me. I didn't suck in drawing; it's just that they were better at it.

Sensei Kudo was an energetic woman who was all over the room. Today she had us learn how to shade things. We had to use some little stick things that were like rolled up paper and just run over whatever we drew to make it smoky.

Lunch brought with it a feeling of anticipation since after that I had to see _him_ again. He probably won't even look my way. Good.

Jerk.

When the lunch bell rang I waved goodbye to Hina and walked with the rest of the older girls to class.

This class was better than yesterday. So that was good. And, miraculously I had my own personal tutor for this class, too. Izo sat next to me today as well. Yummy older guy, check.

Just kidding! But it was nice; he helped me out with the homework so that was good.

He was cocky, though. "I _knew_ you would need help." was what he told me. I think it wasn't meant in a bad way but it kinda ticked me off.

When class ended I told Rukia about the change of plans. So we decided that we would walk together to Ichigo's house and take Yuzu with us to my house. I walked to my last class and checked my Hollow tracker. It hadn't beeped or anything.

My last class went really fast. Hina jumped out of her seat when we were dismissed and had her camera ready. Apparently, on the first day of the club meeting, they all decided that the club would meet 5 days a week.

We bid each other goodbye and I walked to the front of the school.

I saw the second year class students leave. I waved at the girls and Ishida and Sado when I saw them leave. I didn't spot Ichigo anywhere. This was a very good day.

I didn't have to wait long for Rukia.

Rukia and I began to walk and conversed. I asked her questions about herself and Soul society. It was a pleasant walk.

When we reached the Kurosaki household, it seemed our plans with Yuzu were destroyed. I saw Yuzu and Karin in little nurse outfits.

When Yuzu saw me she stopped. "Gomen, Dulce, but it seems our plans are ruined."

"What happened?" asked Rukia.

Karin stopped too. "There was an accident not far from here. Two people were severely injured, but it's nothing that we can't handle." Yuzu nodded. "They will need constant vigilance though."

She gave me a sympathetic look. "I'm really sorry; Dulce, but I can't do our lesson today. Is that alright?"

I ruffled her hair. "Yeah, no problem."

Karin looked at us." Isn't Ichigo with you guys?"

My mouth couldn't help but twitch. Rukia beamed. "OH, it's nothing, Karin! He just stayed in school for a little bit! Now, me and Dulce will be on our way. I'll be home for dinner! BYE!"

And with that she grabbed my hand and rushed me to my house.

Hina wouldn't be home for about 2 more hours. That was good because Rukia and I had a lot to discuss about. I decided earlier in the day that she would be the best person to ask about Ichigo since shes known him for a while now. Plus, we needed to discuss some other things.

While we were walking to my house, we conversed. Rukia was nice to talk to. She had a strong, resilient yet humble attitude. We talked about our lives back in our other home.

She told me about her days in Soul Society and I told her about my training.

The first thing Rukia did when I opened the door is hop and throw herself onto the couch.

I laughed. "You seem like a very enthusiastic person, Rukia." I saw as I lay my bag onto the other couch and take and walk into the kitchen.

I opened the refrigerator and take out 2 water bottles and get some chips from the cabinet.

Rukia chuckled. "Sometimes, I guess." she said as she stretched like a cat and kicked off her shoes.

"So," she started while taking a drink from her bottle," How are you handling the whole Ichigo situation?"

I tensed up a bit. What I thought of him changed. I didn't hate him, but I didn't really like him either.

If some other Warrior was in my position and was dealing with a jerk, I'm sure they would have not lost their cool.

But I am not just a Warrior, damn it! I am a 15 year old teenage girl! I have emotions that get the better of me! It wasn't my entire fault.

Rukia waited patiently for my answer. She changed from carefree to business in a snap. It was admirable. Her purple eyes never left mine.

"Well, like I said before, I would wait for him to make the next move. I told him where I stood. I'm his partner and he needs to come to terms with that. I felt like the best decision was to leave him alone and let him figure it out."

Rukia nodded at my decision while tracing her lip with her finger. "I see. Well, I also think that is the best decision. But, Ichigo is stubborn so I doubt he'll really think about it. But don't worry! I'll remind him every minute about this situation."

"Thanks for you're help, Rukia." She just smiled and said it was nothing.

I still needed to ask her some things. I needed to know everything about Ichigo to see why he hates me.

I struggled to get the questions asked. I didn't know how to approach Rukia about Ichigo.

Maybe I should start slow. Little questions first.

That seemed like the best idea so I went for it.

I got up from my seat, sat next to Rukia, turned on the T.V and opened the bag of chips.

I offered some to her and she took a hand full.

We were watching some Japanese soap opera that Hina is obsessed with.

As I was eating, I started. "Hey, Rukia?"

"Hmm?" she replied, keeping her eyes glued to the T.V.

"How did you and Ichigo meet?"

She stopped watching T.V and gave me a look. "Where did this question come from?" she said with a quirked eyebrow.

"Well … yesterday I made up my mind to know everything about Ichigo. Just because Ichigo and me aren't talking doesn't mean that the mission is on hiatus. I still need to continue and I feel that if I know some things about Ichigo, I could understand him a bit better."

Rukia pondered over what I said. "I see your point. It would make things easier in the long run." she turned her whole body to look at me. She sat Indian style and leaned back a bit.

"Shoot."

"I already asked the first question."

"Oh, ok. I met Ichigo when I was assigned this town to guard. I met him one night and then his family was attacked by a Hollow. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop it and ended up injured so I gave Ichigo my shinigami powers to help him save his family. I didn't mean to give him all my powers, but I did so then he became a shinigami. This was strictly banned so they sent 2 other shinigami to arrest me and that started _drama_."

I laughed at this; I didn't expect Rukia to say something like drama.

She smiled and continued. It turns out that Ichigo, Chad, Orihime and Ishida went to Soul Society to save Rukia. They succeeded and went back home with Rukia staying In Soul Society. While they were saving Rukia, 3 captains betrayed Soul Society. Their leader was Aizen. He then created Arrancar, a Hollow who has ripped his mask, and attacked. This was the Winter War.

It was a long explanation but very useful. I kept nodding throughout her explanation, trying to memorize everything she said.

When she finished I asked her another question. "Rukia how is Ichigo usually like?"

She scratched her head at this. "Ichigo is kinda hard to explain. Well, he's a hot head. That much you know. But he can be really kind and caring. He only looks scary but he isn't really but that was back then."

This confused me. I knotted my eyebrows together. "But then, why is he acting like this with me? He was never like this before?"

"Please don't misunderstand. Like I said before, he wasn't always like this. It's just that," she struggled to find the right words. Her face showed me that she honestly didn't want me thinking wrong of him. "It's just that, he changed after the Winter War. Who wouldn't though? That made him grow a lot. And after it ended, he…keeps a very close circle with his friends. He doesn't trust new people so easily. He has become even more guarded. He's become more …cold to people and harder to approach. But it's expected after what happened."

I pondered over this. It made me understand a bit better. "I get how that would change him."

Rukia sighed and smiled. She turned around again to watch the T.V.

"Yup. Now since you understand why he's being the way he is you'll just have to take things slow and stay on his good side."

I frowned. "That's easier said than done, you know."

"I know. And I'm glad I'm not in your position right now. But, even though I've only known you for two days, I'm positive you'll succeed. You're a nice girl who seems like she knows her priorities and won't give up."

I gave a shaky sigh. "Yeah, well, the truth is I'm freakin' out right now. Ichigo is intimidating sometimes."

After what I learned about Ichigo, I wasn't sure if the situation would be easier now or harder.

"Don't worry. Like is said, I'll try my best to make Ichigo see you're side of the problem."

"Phew. Thanks again for you're help Rukia. You're very comforting."

"Ahhhh! Dulce, you're so CUTE AND SWEET!" Rukia squealed as she latched onto me. I didn't get a chance to hug her back. She let go of me and stood up.

She gained a serious look. "I also have something to ask you, Dulce."

"Yeah, go right ahead."

"I am you're overseer, so my job is to send in reports to Soul Society. The problem is that I'm not sure if I should tell them about our problem."

"Why should you lie?" "I wasn't planning on lying, it's just I wasn't sure if you would want me to tell them the truth. You know?"

"Yeah, I do. I might be able to fix everything soon. So, can you wait a while? She shook her head. "This was my last day to turn in my report. I have no idea what to do."

"I don't want you to get in trouble over something as stupid as this."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yep, don't lie. Just tell them."

Rukia grabbed her bag and walked over to the door. "What exactly should I tell them?"

"The truth. Tell them the mission is not going well. That my partner and I are not getting along and that we'll need their intervention to straighten things out."


	7. Called into Soul Society

**YAY! I'M UPDATING!=D**

**Okay, i know this Chapter took a while but it's up. There isn't much action here, it's leading up to it, and that's another reason why i chose the lyrics because going to Soul Society might either save this crucial mission or burn it.**

**I do not own BLEACH! **

_"Maybe we'll live and learn_

_Maybe we'll crash and burn"_

_John Legend- Ordinary People_

* * *

Right after the door closed my phone rang. Creepy. I checked my phone's screen, it was my dad.

"Hey, dad."

"Hello Dulce, how have things been with your mission." Ah, I see, the Order wanted a report.

"Well, sir, things have been going a little bumpy, but it'll get straightened out. I won't fail."

"That's what we wanna hear. Good luck." and with that he clicked.

* * *

I sighed, I cringed thinking about what the Order would say to my report. I still hadn't earned their respect, believe it or not, after all I've done for them. But It doesn't matter, I _will _make this mission a success. No mater what it takes.

The only noise that rang inside the conference room was the _clamp_ of my phone being closed.

Finally, someone spoke up. " So, tell us the report." said someone to my right.

I kept my face businesslike, though my body was more relaxed, I couldn't look worried. " She said everything is going well, they came across a Hollow today. Seems like things are going pretty good." My daughter may not be able to lie to the Order, but I can.

A hum of approval made it's way across the table. There were only 9 others inside the room. The generals and the Head.

I had to hold back a scoff. They made her the heir to the Circle yet they find it amazing that she is not failing on this mission. Idiots.

If it was up to me, I would not have here even near here. But it's what she wants to be.

"Do you think she'll complete this mission?" someone asked. My eyes immediately landed hard on the person who spoke. It was General Hall. One of the 4 women who were generals, she was a strict and powerful Warrior, and at the age of 58, one of the oldest. She gave me a steady gaze.

"Armando, it's a fair question." said General Reyes, his dark eyes were serious.

Everyone else nodded in agreement. My eyes tightened. "If you have so little faith in her, then why did you pick her? Huh?" I busted out.

"The answer is," a crackling voice floated through the room, catching everyone's attention instantly. The Head, Old General Renwood hardly ever talked during meetings. She was the strong and silent type of leader. "That she would serve us best. She is not the strongest Warrior her age, her opponent could have won easily. But it was that will and fight in her that burned which gave her victory. If it wasn't for her loyalty to us, the thought of 'I have to win, not for me, for the Order' she would have been slaughtered. She does everything in her power to not let us down."

I didn't know if I should have been offended and angry or touched so I did a little bit of both.

Reyes decided to speak up again." Yeah, I mean her loyalty to us is so vast it's actually sort of sad really."

"Never talk about my daughter like that again, Reyes, You hear me?" I growled out. Cocky bastard.

"General Renwood does have a point, and it is that exact reason why we all voted for her to become the heir and not her opponent." I cringed at the memory of seeing that battle.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, let's just keep this meeting going, I don't want to hear anyone else talk about my daughter anymore."

Even though I didn't want to admit it, they were right. Dulce was too loyal and one day it will make her do something she'll regret.

* * *

I slumped my way to school in the morning. I just felt all drained. Hina happily skipped and hopped next to me, talking about how good Photography Club is going. I couldn't help but marvel at her for a second. She was very open and bright, like a sun.

"Are you sure you don't wanna join?" she asked, her hazel eyes shining, her lips turned into a warm grin.

I shook my head a little and smiled a bit. "Nah, I'm cool. I'm not exactly a technology person." She quietly scoffed, but then turned serious.

"Dulce, you need to go out more, you know. Being inside a house for most of the day isn't healthy. Look at you! You look all dumb and slow right now! See!"

I slowed down and gave her a hurt look. "I look dumb and slow?"

She closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm just sayin', go out and hang out with other people, Dulce. You have no idea how much I worry when I leave you alone! The first person to live with me in who knows how long and I have to leave them alone for hours? I would feel better if you would go out more."

Whoa. This coming from Hina was, like, Hailey's Comet!

I smiled over her concern. "All right, all right! Jeez!" My answer seemed to inject new energy into her. Crap.

I tried my best to keep up with her but I was just effin' tired! I didn't sleep well last night, I kept having this weird dream. It was the same scene playing over and over, it was during the night time and 2 people were having a very tense conversation and then one lunged at the other. The scene always came out distorted and in different angles.

I grunted softly and shook my head, not wanting to remember this dream, knowing exactly what it was about and what was going on. It was in the past and I wanted to forget about it.

Since Hina was a fast walker we always got to our classroom early. To tell you the truth, I didn't want to be here, I could tell this day was gonna suck.

When me and Hina took our seats she immediately started to giggle. Now this coming from Hina wasn't an oddity, so I didn't make much of it.

Then she turned to me, her hazel eyes were wide with remembrance.

"Oh my god, Dulce! I just remembered a freakin' funny joke!" She smiled wide, but then stopped. "Well, it's also really, really stupid but still!"

I chuckled." Okay. Shoot."

"Okay, okay, How did the moron try to kill a bird?" she asked me.

I backed up and gave her a 'are you serious?' face. "Really, Hina?"

"Just answer." she said sternly. She was hopping up and down on her seat.

I rolled my eyes." How?"

"He tried to throw it off a cliff! Can you believe that crap?" then she burst into a fit of laughter.

I shook my head but couldn't help but let out a giggle. "That is really dumb."

"It is but it's funny, Huh?"

"It's more stupid than funny but yeah."

And that is how first period went, we had a sub today for Japanese and me and Hina just began to remember the dumbest jokes we knew. A couple of times I had to bury my face in my arms to lower my laughter.

Coming 2nd period my heart began to race again. I tried to cover it up and I think it worked.

Izo walked in all confident and whatnot. He saw me looking at him and before I could turn my head away he gave me a half smile. I hunched in my seat, angry and embarrassed at myself. I shouldn't even be doing that, what if I was giving him ideas?

I mentally rolled my eyes. Yeah, right, as if he would even think of me like that.

Sensei Hayashi sprinted in here, looking slightly out of breathe. Instantly the class went silent.

Hina's hand caught my attention. Her left hand was behind her seat, a folded paper with the word 'Joke' scribbled on the front.

I leaned in close to her. "Hina, no more jokes!" I tried to whisper.

"Dulce!" a stern voice rang. My eyes darted to the front of the class. Sensei Hayashi was half-way turned, her left arm still on the marker against the whiteboard. Her face was pinched. "Stop talking and take notes!" she said.

I shrunk in my seat. No one likes being yelled at. My cheeks reddened from embarrassment. They became more red when I heard snickers around the class.

Hina shushed loudly and most of them did shush. I opened up my notebook and took the notes that were on the board. 30 minutes into the class we were allowed to start on our homework.

I actually did get more of this lesson. Still, after walking around the class twice and helping the people who needed help he came and sat by me.

But he didn't ask me if I needed help, he just sat there and sort of stared at me, every now and then he would look around.

Finally, after being much aware of his staring I looked at him. "What are you doing?"

His expression didn't change. "Nothin'"

I stared at him for a few more moments then scoffed and turned to my work.

He barked a laugh and leaned into my desk. I tensed instantly. My eyes widened but I didn't look up. I scooted away from him. I could here his quiet breathing. Now I was annoyed, his closeness was annoying me. Thankfully the bell rang a few minutes later.

Before he stood up he flickered the veil of hair that had fallen onto the desk so he could look me in the eye. He smiled a smoldering smile. "Bye."

I didn't get up till he stepped into the hallway.

I felt Goosebumps go up and down my spine. Sort of uncomfortable.

As I stretched out Hina stayed in her seats and glared at me.

"You could have just taken the letter." she said.

I shrugged. "I know. I just didn't want to."

"It would have saved you from being yelled at."

The rest of my periods were boring. During English Hina fell asleep and kept making small grunting noises which made me giggle so I had to hold those back. Art was the same as yesterday, the only fun part was me having to kick Hina's chair to wake her up. (She snorted and sort of choked.)

Lunch was stifling. It was hot again. No surprise. But the girls did manage to find shade under a bunch of tall trees.

Rukia wasn't with them so she must have been with Ichigo.

I ate my lumpy and squishy peanut butter and jelly sandwich and downed it down with 2 chocolate milks.

Tatsuki violently pushed Chizuru off of Orihime. Orihime was eating some sort of meat, I think, and some pudding sort of food on top of it. My stomach churned when she held it close to my face and asked me if I wanted some. I had to decline many, _many_ times.

I decided to converse with the rest of the girls. I asked Tatsuki how she got so muscled.

"I work out." she said nonchalantly.

"Religiously?" I asked her. This girl looked like she could kick a biker down without braking a sweat.

Tatsuki grinned." Damn straight." I grinned at her response.

I checked the time on my cell phone, it was almost 1:15, lunch would almost be over and I had to go pee.

I excused myself and walked to the bathroom.

I used the bathroom that was next to the open courtyard, I had to wait a while since many girls were in line to use the bathroom. By the time I got inside a stall the bell had rang. As I was washing my hands I sensed the spiritual pressure of Rukia and someone else. I dried my hands and walked to the window looking out towards the side of the school.

Rukia was talking to a tall, red-haired man in shinigami robes. I debated whether or not I should go down and meet her. Why? I asked myself, it's probably none of my business.

I decided not to go and see what was up and hurried to Physiology.

As I walked out onto the court yard I immediately ran into Rukia.

"Dulce!" I heard her strong yet feminine voice say.

"What's up?" I asked her as I slowed down, the tall red-head was right behind her. As he stopped I got a better look at him. He had various black tattoos across his body and face. He also wore a bandana on his forehead.

" Is this her?" he asked Rukia. She nodded.

"Dulce, this is Renji Abarai, lieutenant of the 6th company."

I looked up at Renji Abarai. "Nice to meet you, Abarai-san." He nodded.

"So what do you guys need with me?" I asked hesitantly and raked through my head, trying to think of reasons why they would need me.

"I did as you told me, Dulce, I sent in my report about the situation that is going on. I got word from them sooner than I thought, though. Soul Society sent me an order to bring you and Ichigo to the Captain Commander Yamamoto to fix this problem."

I backed up a bit at her answer. "So soon?"

Renji spoke up. "Yes. Captain Yamamoto is very concerned over this issue. He needs this to work so I'm here to kick Ichigo's ass and take him back to Soul Society."

I approved this.

Rukia grabbed my hand and hulled me towards our 5th period. "We need to get Ichigo and hurry to Soul Society. They expect us there soon."

I soured at the thought of seeing Ichigo. It seems like I was right after all, this was a sucky day.

We ran in to the building where the room Science room was at.

Rukia skidded to a stop and let go of my hand. She turned to both Renji and I. "I'll go inside and talk to the teacher and convince her to let Ichigo go."

My heart began to beat fast and my hands involuntarily turned into fists.

Renji saw my reaction. "Ya know, this problem between you'n Ichigo is really stupid."

"I know it's stupid." I said in a tight voice. Renji was about to say something else when Ichigo came sprawling out of the door, Rukia right behind him.

Ichigo would have collided with me but I scurried out of his way. Renji caught Ichigo and hauled him over his shoulder and began to walk. Ichigo's loud protests were filled with violent threats and cusses.

Rukia came to walk next to me looking very proud of herself.

We hurried to get out of the building, being very quiet so as to not attract attention.

Renji and Ichigo were waiting for us downstairs. Each of the had a few cuts on their faces.

When Ichigo saw me he angrily scoffed and threw his hands into the air. This made my cheeks reddened in embarrassment and anger.

I sniffed and looked away, my arms crossed against my chest.

Renji looked at me and Ichigo back and forth and then scratched his head.

"Wow, this is bad." he commented. Rukia nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Renji began. "I'll open up the door to Soul Society once we're out of the school." he said and began to walk towards the side of the school. Ichigo quickly followed him, muttering about how he didn't want to waste his time on something stupid. I glared at his retreating figure, his back was tight and his shoulders were rigid.

"Come on, Dulce. Everything will be sorted out soon." Rukia said and began to walk.

I followed close behind her. We were almost out of the school when I noticed that we would be passing Hina's 5th period room. I kept my eyes on the window, looking to see if Hina was looking out the window.

My eyes immediately met with Hina's hazel eyes.

I froze midway, the others didn't seem to notice. Our eyes connected and I saw that Hina was halfway up in surprise. Her mouth was open, her face turned from honest surprise to anger and disappointment as I ran to catch up with the others. The last thing I saw was Hina's accusing stare on my cowardly retreat.

I stopped next to the others out of breath. How was I going to explain this to Hina?

"Dulce." Renji called out to me. My head sprung up in surprise. "This will lead us to Soul Society."

In front of him was a Japanese stilled door and 4 black butterflies came out of it. As the black butterfly got close to me a blinding light erupted. I was now on my way to my hearing, I would call it, in Soul Society. I couldn't help but think that I was going to be yelled at a 2nd time today.


End file.
